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If you suffer from heartburn or other GERD symptoms, you know how important it is to be able to shorten the acid reflux duration. Though some symptoms can be practically unnoticeable, others can be uncomfortable or even painful. Therefore, the longer the acid reflux duration, the more discomfort you feel.

Fortunately, there are effective ways to not only prevent GERD symptoms, but also techniques for minimizing acid reflux episode duration. Use the following methods to shorten the span of your GERD symptoms:

- Lose Weight ' not only can being overweight increase the frequency of the acid reflux, but it can also make symptoms worse due to the added pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter. Therefore, you should aim to lose any excess weight to remove this pressure and for added benefits as well. To lose weight, eat smaller portions, fewer fatty foods, and exercise more. Each of these activities are very effective efforts for reducing GERD symptoms on their own, as well as being great for losing weight'which also reduces GERD symptoms.

- Exercise ' if you feel acid reflux symptoms coming on, it's time to start walking. Exercising ' even something as simple as walking ' can help to eliminate many of the discomforts that you feel when you are experiencing acid reflux symptoms. Furthermore, it accelerates weight loss and is great for your cardiovascular system ' also beneficial to keeping your acid reflux under control.

- Remain Calm ' it's natural to start feeling stressed if you start to sense the discomfort associated with many GERD symptoms. If you start to experience symptoms, take a breath and calm yourself down. You may find that doing yoga or other stress-reducing activities will help and many people find this to be very effective for their symptoms.

- Use Gravity ' when you feel acid reflux symptoms, remain upright. This means that you should not lie down after you've had a meal. Wait at least two to three hours before reclining. By keeping upright, you stop your stomach from changing pressures that might cause stomach acid backflow. Indeed, this can be tricky if you are feeling symptoms at night. To overcome this problem, use extra pillows so that you're sleeping with your head much more elevated than usual. You want to be sleeping in as upright a position as you can manage.

- Loosen Clothing ' If you are wearing tight, restrictive clothing, it's time to loosen up. By undoing a belt, removing tight-fitting panty hose, or releasing any other kinds of tight waistbands, you will remove a great deal of pressure from your stomach. It may very well have been this pressure on the stomach that was causing the contents to be sent back up to the esophagus. If you do have to wear tighter clothing, make sure that you have more loose-fitting clothes with you just in case you need them.

Remember that prevention is just as important as what you do at the time that you are experiencing symptoms. The more you can do overall to help yourself, the shorter your acid reflux duration will be.